Croatia suffered one of the heaviest defeats in its history, being thrashed 7-0 by England in Rijeka.
After the match, Croatia captain Luka Modrić did not hide his disappointment with the team’s performance, admitting that, for the first time in his international career, he felt ashamed following a match.
“It is difficult to find an explanation for a performance like this, without duels, without fouls, without aggression and without unity. I have been here for 20 years, but for the first time I feel ashamed after a match,” Modrić said.
He added that defeats can happen when an opponent is simply better, but the manner in which Croatia were beaten in Rijeka was, in his view, unacceptable.
“You have to accept losing when someone is better, when they are better at this moment. But to lose like this and damage the reputation we have built over the years is unacceptable. I feel very ashamed,” the Croatia captain said.
Croatia will play their next match against Spain on Wednesday in Split.